Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park in New Mexico preserves and presents the ecology of the Chihuahuan Desert above Carlsbad and the Pecos River. Established in 1967 through land donations by Neil Wills, Robert Light, and the Eddy County Commission, it grew into a large protected site combining a zoo, botanical garden, and desert landscape. The park features more than forty native animal species, an aviary of regional birds, and extensive collections of cacti and succulents alongside plants such as agave, ocotillo, saguaro, and yucca. Self-guided trails through dunes, arroyos, and pinyon-juniper forest reinforce its role as a concentrated showcase of desert life.